A wireless transmitter transmit wireless signals via a wireless medium and a wireless communication device comprising a receiver is operable to receive and recover the transmitted wireless signals from the wireless medium. The transmitted wireless signals may be distorted and/or otherwise degraded during transmission over the wireless medium. The distortion and/or degradation may occur as a result of factors comprising channel impairments such as noise, signal interference, intersymbol interference and co-channel interference. Accordingly, the transmitter is generally operable to code and/or otherwise process information contained in the transmitted wireless signals so as to mitigate the effects of any actual and/or perceived channel impairments.
The structure of the wireless transmitter and/or wireless transmitted signals is dependent upon the wireless communication standard being supported by the wireless communication device comprising the wireless transmitter and/or wireless receiver. For example, IEEE 802.11a defines an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) wireless transmission protocol that comprise eight 20 MHz spaced channels in the lower band (e.g., 5.15 gigahertz to 5.35 gigahertz) and four 30 MHz spaced channels in the upper band (e.g., 5.725 gigahertz to 5.825 gigahertz). Measurement and control of RF power is a critical consideration when designing a wireless transmitter. Various factors such as, for example, regulatory requirements on power transmitted, network robustness, and the need to co-exist with other wireless networks, demand that there be tight control of transmitted power. Moreover, precise RF power control can result in improved spectral performance and can save cost and energy in the transmitter's power amplifier.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.